180-foot asteroid speeding at 15727 kmph set to buzz Earth today

Surveys done by NASA-supported ground-based telescopes, including Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, as well as the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, have identified thousands of near-Earth objects. And a space-based telescope called NEOWISE has identified hundreds of others while scanning the skies at near-infrared wavelengths of light from its polar orbit around Earth. NASA uses its ground-based radar to gather precise data about the asteroid’s path and its characteristics.

With the aid of such advanced tech, NASA has now issued a warning against an asteroid that is set to pass Earth today.

Details about Asteroid 2023 HF1

The asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 HF1, is on its way towards Earth for a close encounter today, June 21. Wondering how big it is? NASA has revealed that this asteroid is almost as big as an aircraft, with a width of 180 feet. Its first close approach with Earth in recorded history occurred on June 26, 1980, as it passed the planet at a distance of 4.8 million kilometers. After today, the asteroid will come close to Earth on June 14, 2050!

The asteroid was spotted by NASA’s Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

Asteroid 2018 KR is expected to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of 4.7 million kilometers today at a speed of 15727 kilometers per hour, as per NASA. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. They are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

How does NASA track an asteroid – Process explained

When NASA’s telescopes track a new Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA), astronomers measure the asteroid’s observed positions in the sky and report them to the Minor Planet Center. The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) then uses that data to determine the asteroid’s most likely orbit around the Sun, according to NASA.

To assess whether an impact is possible and narrow down where the true orbit may be, NASA’s new Sentry II then uses a new algorithm and selects random points throughout the entire uncertainty region. This allows Sentry-II to zero in on more very low probability impact scenarios.